Mate , i am a springmaker from Australia. my comment is to use a press to remove the bush in one motion. Don't ever paint a leaf spring unless is assembled! using a thin coat of laquer. the spring will not be tight at the centrebolt after rust and wear and tear. u bolts will become loose and the centrebolt will break. nice video mate
This is as straight forward as i thought it would be. Thanks for the video and the effort you put into editing. Also, a huge plus for not being another idiot on RU-vid. The content here is definitely quality.
Get a map gas torch much hotter then propane. Map gas torch heat then outside around metal sleeve it will expand and the drive metal sleeve out. I’ve never rebuilt a spring like this. Very well done.
I put a little bit of grease in the Ferch and pads on my 06 power waggon many years ago and I made a great difference on the flexibility and ride so I believe and restoring your old leaf springs by clean them up and put a little bit of lube or the friction! Again, good video
Years ago I had a project requiring used leaf springs. Out side the garage there was leaf springs off an old AMC Eagle rusted from the Pa winter salted roads. When I removed the CENTER BOLT and the leaves came apart there was a thin piece of factory installed zink strips about 8 inches long at the CENTER BOLT. Where the zink strip was unbelievable brand new metal. Where the CENTER BOLT is the springs hold more water and salt. The spring gets bridle from the rust and breaks a lot of times at the CENTER BOLT. With the zink strips there's no rust hence no embrittlement. I have seen zink templates (for a better word) between aluminum wheels and the hub to stop dissimilar metal corrosion.
Ha, yeah I missed getting that on camera, but it was the easiest part of the entire project. They just slide in, didn't even have to use a hammer. Thanks for watching
@@Offroadfarm1 You're very Welcome Sir! and also thank you for saving me the $200 bucks i was going to spend on new ones. Was outside today surveying as i am doing a frame & component restoration. And yes i hit your Subscribe button. Have a great day and stay safe and healthy!
I never use a torch but you sold me on buying one when I do this on my silverado 1500 thank you lol that was cool when you punched it out and that smoke came out
@offroadfarm great video, might I suggest another way to use heat to remove your bushings. Instead of heating the inside/center, heat the outside. Doing it that way helps eliminate the nasty burnt rubber stink, and takes less time. In the case of bushings with an outer metal sleeve, heat outside - knock out the bushing and then take some type of saw (hack or coping or whatever you can easily detach and reattach)stick the blade down the hole and saw through it. Then just knock it out what a screw driver. Same idea of knowing when you got it hot enough, the rubber will start to melt/sizzle. The best bonus is that when you heat it up from the outside, the metal should still be hot (aka it is still expanded) making it easier to slip the new bushing in there. 😃
If you heat the eye enough it will ruin the temper. Heating the center eliminates that worry! I’d use a drill though because I hate melting plastic stink.
Watched this to see if you used any heat. A spring shop told me they could restore them that way because they sagging. Within a month both had broke!!! This was on the steering axle of an 83 359 Pete! If you have sagging springs just buy some new ones. Great video....no heat!!!
Torch for the win 😂 I remember the first time I got to use a O A torch at welding school to get stuck inner race out of my Honda 4 wheeler front hubs I got them so hot that I had to replace ball joints bc welded them in the position they where in 😂 I lived and learned that day
Don't paint in between the leaves. When the paint wears out the center pin will be loose. Also heating them up is not a good idea but if you do, be careful not to heat up the springs.
What do you do to stop rust from forming in between the springs, if you shouldn't paint there? I bought new springs on clearance sale, and the paint has been chipped, so was planning on repainting. However, just being rained on for a week, rust has started forming between the leafs already! I'd prefer my new springs don't rust away from the inside out, so what should I do?
@@adamkarlovsky6015 Some people oil them but I have heard that it could also damage them in the long run. Try silicone based lubricant. It has been a while since I last did research on this and I always recommend doing your own research before trusting the "guy on the internet".
Sorry, but sprints don't typically move that much. They flex. I have been working on pre-1915 cars for over 40 years, and I remove all the rust, clean and paint every leaf. If they AREN'T painted, THEN they will rust, and the loosening of the center bolt will happen, not because they were painted, but because they developed a layer of rust, that then flakes out. If you ever buy a new spring, you will see every leaf is painted.
You can also borrow a hand press from any major autoparts store. Free as long as you return it. That how I did all the front and rear suspension bushings in mine. Super easy.
I heat the bushing from the spring side, then take a hacksaw, remove the blade, reassemble it with the blade inside the hole, then saw out your outer bushing sleeve.
I got the Bauer from Harbor freight. www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/power-saws/10-amp-deep-cut-variable-speed-band-saw-kit-63444.html So far I've been pretty pleased with it. I did get some news blades that were much better than the blades that came with it. As long as your not going to be using it every day I think it will hold up for a while. Thanks for watching
great video i'am getting to start on 47 lincoln continental bad sag in front fender low enough you cant turn wheels -going to try to raise body up and put shims on top of spring -front single spring-i like the small torch ---any suggestion thanks
Just drop it all in 6 to 1 hydrochloric overnight and everything will be bare metal by the morning and rust free. Scrub down with stainless wool and neutralize. Dry and paint immediately.
Omg! Awesome video! So we just bought 2002 Ford Econoline no we’ve been removing rust in undercarriage. The leaf springs are much worse than yours ugh! Now I’m even more stressed. I can’t even imagine trying to take these apart. I literally was having panic attacks just under the van. As I was sanding with wire wheel I am able to see metal. Question is, should I continue to sand to bare metal or is it best if we remove them and restore ? Please Help! Subscribed and glad I found your video. Thanks!
You can continue to wire wheel them. Just make sure to closely inspect them for any damage that may require you to replace them. If you see anything questionable don't hesitate to either replace them or at the least have a qualified mechanic take a look at them. Thanks for watching and glad you found the video helpful.
I'm debating whether to replace the leaf springs on my RV trailer or to just replace them. They're certainly cheap enough to just replace, but I don't like tossing parts that're still good and could be like new after a restoration like this. From what I'm reading online it's best to leave the space between the leaves bare save for a silicon-based lubricant, so that's what I think I'm going to do if I do decide to restore my springs rather than replacing them. I have a plan to lubricate the facing surfaces, stick them back together, clean off any lubricant from the exterior surfaces, and spray the exterior with a rubberized sealant. Where the springs join and flex the rubberized seal will break, but I can just occasionally reapply silicon lubricant to ward off any corrosion.
If your springs are in decent shape and just a bit rusty then I would just clean them up. It is not hard to do. Now if your springs have settled or are sagging that is more difficult to fix and it would be easier to just replace them. Thanks for watching
I've read painting the leaves of leaf spring packs can lead to wear of the leaf springs caused by the paint wearing off leaving more space (gaps) between the leaves. Having additional space between the leaves the leaf pack may be too loose, causing premature wear? Perhaps it would be better to use a thinner paint that doesn't easily wear? Anyway I don't think you want to cover (paint) the leaves with anything too thick. e.g. Something like trying to chrome the leaves, etc.
Great point. I should have done a better job explaining that in the video. I tried to make all the coats very thin to try to avoid the leaves getting loose. I also plan to keep an eye on them and tighten them as needed
@@Dixler683 he's right tho don't paint between leaf springs. It's a pretty logical concept really. But hey your rig do whatever the hell you want. Lord knows I've done more than my share of regrettable mods to mine over the years.
The new bushing go in very easy. You should be able to push them in by hand. You may have to tap them in with a hammer but you shouldn't have to hit them very hard. Thanks for watching
@@mblake0420 destroying heat treat takes VERY high temperatures. Guns are heat treated, yet get heat cycled over and over. As long as you don’t discolor the metal, the heat treat will be ok.
You can but it will be a pain. If you have torch even just a small propane torch, just use that it will be sooo much easier. If you don't have one then you can use a hole saw. It will be easier if you have a drill press and someone else to help hold the spring. Good luck on your project and thanks for watching
You need the correct size bushings for your springs. Check this link, scroll down a little bit and they tell you how to figure the correct size bushing without having to detach it. Thanks for watching www.offroaddesign.com/greasable-rear-spring-and-shackle-bushing-kits-for-gm-trucks.html
Great video! Any thoughts if I need to remove some of the leaves from the leaf pack? I have a lowered 74 C10 that I'm trying to fit a caltrax on and I think I need to remove some of the leaves from the leaf pack to fit it
Glad you liked the video. I'm not sure about your leaf pack. I have zero experience with caltracs. Have you tried to contact the manufacturer? Thanks for watching
I think you can harden up the worn out steal by heating up the leaf and throwing it in a bath of used motor oil. Not sure but thats what my drummer did with his old cymbals and it made them sound s higher pitch. He said the heated metal absorbs carbon out from the oil. Ill be searching for this technique to add to this fellas routine. Nice job!
Yes you can heat treat your springs but it's not something that is easily done at home. If you have access to a forge/furnace large enough to fit your springs then give it a try. Don't forget to temper after the hardening. Thanks for watching!
You can re-arch your springs but I don't really consider it a DIY thing. Watch this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CYWfYyYQ2kA.html for some ideas on re-arching. Keep in mind that if you don't heat treat properly they will flatten back out. If you can afford it and can find new springs I recommend that option. Thanks for watching and good luck on your project.
You’re fucking awesome I’m about to do this on my 57 Chevy I’ve been looking for over two months on buying brand new or getting on Powder coating the Powder coating place told me I need to take them apart and it’s extra money if they have to clean them know you know what I’m going to do thank you sir
Yes, you've made them pretty and replaced the bushes but haven't restored them at all. You didn't reset the leaves to original curve, or retemper them to original spec. When you refit them on your truck, it'll just sag as it did before.
mossturn01 if they are sagged out you replace them.. Heating springs up to re curve them is not a DIY activity and really not smart to do as you are creating stress points in the steel.. This video does however show people how to clean em up and replace bushings/stop corrosion that will cause a leaf pack to fail prematurely
You can but it is not necessary. They are convenient to use to hang the leaves from to paint though. Just remember that you want to use thin and light coats. Thanks for watching
They aren't sagged out that badly. I also didn't want to spend the time rearching all the springs. I will probably end up pulling a 1 or 2 out to increase flex. Thanks for watching
The new bushings are the easiest part of the whole project. They just push in by hand. You may have to tap them in with a hammer but I didn't. Thanks for watching
my 10 year old leaf pack is totally flat against my overload spring, are those leafs salvageable if i have them re arced? or are they weak now and no good?
You can try to re-arch them but if they are that flat I wouldn't expect it to last long. You may be better off getting some new springs. Don't forget you could always check out a few junkyards or pull-a-parts and may be able to find a set of new to you springs. Thanks for watching!
It may be possible to use a holesaw but I think it would be tough. The easiest method is a press if you have access to one, the second easiest (in my opinion) is a torch. Even just a small propane torch like I used in the video worked quickly and easily and they are cheap. Thanks for watching
It can effect the heat treat, that is why you heat the inner sleeve and not the spring itself. That should keep most of the heat out of the spring yet still melt the rubber bushing so you can knock it out.
I know, I'm sorry but it is super easy. The greasable bushings from offroad design truly just slide right in. If you have to tap them into place use a mallet or dead-blow so you don't nick the inner sleeve, but I was able to install all four by hand. It was the easiest part of the entire project. Thanks for watching
Hi Like your project ! Thumbs up. I'm building a crew cab dodge on my channel if your interested ? I know your busy though.....Can I offer a 3rd easier solution to the bushings. Probably the easiest, I believe. Get a gallon can of the NAPA carb cleaner solution. Pull the basket it out of course. Then set one end of the leaf in the can and wait maybe 30/40 minutes and the solvent completely softens and pushes it self right out of the leaf spring. Just thought I would off my "3rd solution" I 've had real good luck with. Also works good at cleaning off carboned pistons for a motor rebuild. Thanks, Ron
